New Electrohydrodynamic Flow Caused by the Onsager Effect

Abstract

We report a new type of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow generated around a circular cylinder and a spherical particle in a dielectric liquid under dc and ac electric fields. The EHD flow is observed for various combinations of dielectric liquids and polar additives. We suggest that the EHD flow is caused by a gradient of electrical conductivity produced by a nonuniform electric field and subsequent generation of free charge in the bulk liquid. Analytical and numerical analyses which are based on the leaky-dielectric model show good agreement with experimental results.